Pray in the Spirit

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Eph 6:18 nlt
    

THOUGHT: "Pray in the Spirit!" Paul is asking believers to pray consciously recognizing that the Spirit given them when they came to Christ (Eph. 1:13) gives them direct access to God to pray what is on their heart (Eph. 2:18; cf. Rom. 8:26-27) and to intercede for knowledge, power, and boldness for others (Eph. 1:17; 3:16;6:18-20).

Put in cornbread English, the Spirit who lives inside us, empowers our prayers, interceding directly to the heart of God, enabling our prayers to have powerful results! Our prayers are so much more than the words we voice. We pray, consciously, alertly, and persistently, speaking to the Creator of the universe, assured we are heard, knowing that God will respond with power and grace in the lives of those for whom we pray!

PRAYER: Oh Father, thank you for your incredible gift of the Holy Spirit who makes my prayers much more than my words. Thank you that I can
pray in the Spirit, speaking to you Spirit to Spirit, knowing I am heard, understood, and praying according to your will. Thank you that such intentional praying brings powerful blessings for those for whom I pray. In Jesus name. Amen.~~~~~~~~
 The Sword of the Spirit
                                                     

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 tniv
      

THOUGHT: The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and the Spirit helps us understand the will of God (1 Cor. 2:6-16).
God's message of truth is much more than just the words of mere mortals; it is God's will given by God's Spirit (1 Thes. 4:8). This message has its origins in the Spirit of God, even though it is proclaimed by human messengers (2 Pet. 1:19-21).

In other words, I must not neglect the Scriptures as the Word of God. They must be allowed to teach, rebuke, correct, train, and equip me to live the
life of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). I must allow the Spirit to use God's Word to convict me and work on the attitudes of my heart as I am trained to distinguish good from evil (Heb. 4:12-13; 5:11-14).

What catches my attention today, however, is that I must "take" it. I must intentionally choose to pick it up, use it, and depend upon the Word of God, inviting the Spirit to lead me in the way of God!

PRAYER:    Holy God, thank you for giving me your Word in Scripture. Thank you for pouring out your truth through human messengers inspired by
the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the work of the Spirit to convict and enlighten me through your Word. I ask today as I seek your will in your Word that the Spirit be active and lead me in the way you want me to go. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Source: Used with permission from "Heartlight" http://www.heartlight.org/  - Please note 'The SpiritFire daily devotional' written by Phil Ware is part of a new year long devotional walk focused on the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives - You can subscribe - It's FREE! Just send a blank email to: join-spiritfire@maillists.heartlight.org